Featured Instruments

A Pearl Among Us

No, I’m not speaking of the precious collectible created by oysters and other mollusks, but of violinist Itzhak Perlman. I have enjoyed his playing for decades and feel privileged to…

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Discovery Orchestra Chat 115 – A Very Special Melody Part 2

The orchestral version of Pelleas et Melisande is used to illustrate Gabriel Faure’s lilting Sicilienne rhythm – listen for the prominence of the harp and flute in this Chat! Watch…

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Discovery Orchestra Chat 113 – Holiday Meters Part 2

The hunt continues! Find the underlying pulse, or beat, in a piece of music. Maestro Maull uses Handel’s Pifa (Pastorale) from Messiah to illustrate. Watch and listen to Chat 112,…

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Discovery Orchestra Chat 111 – A Very Special Melody

A composer will sometimes create a melody that is so beautiful, so haunting, that it just stands out as one of the best melodies ever. This was the case when…

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Discovery Orchestra Chat 110 – Another Effective Surprise

All surprises in life feel the way they do because of the unexpected aspect of the surprise. Composers can create “musical surprises” – see how in this Chat featuring pianist…

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Discovery Orchestra Chat 109 – Follow that Subject

A fugue’s main melody is called its “subject”. Maestro Maull explores different subjects using Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 4 performed by The Discovery Orchestra and Bach’s Unaccompanied Sonata No. 1…

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This has been an incredible series. I could take in SO much more than I could at the beginning ones. You have really trained my ears!!! I have been enjoying classical music for more than 60 years (as a child my parents played classical music at dinner and we guessed the composer) but I NEVER knew how to listen before!

— Attendee of NJPAC Classical Conversations with Maestro Maull